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The Editorial
of our Summer 2004 issue.
It’s no secret that in the last couple of years the art
market, including that for tribal art, has been dirge-like. The economic
slowdown in both the United States and Europe has been deeply felt by
art collectors, dealers, public institutions, and their benefactors.
Though hardly a hard-and-fast rule of economics, historically in this
sort of situation, the first barometer of recovery is the auction
market. And if the spring sales in Paris and New York are anything to
judge by, the future is looking pretty bright. Sotheby’s tribal art sale
in New York in May cleared more than three-and-a-half million dollars
with two lots selling in the half-million-dollar range and three others
in six figures. Its Native American auction fared nearly as well at just
under three million total, with a Northwest Coast mask going for about a
quarter of a million. Across the Atlantic, Calmels and Cohen held a sale
in Paris with the expertise of Pierre Amrouche and Alain de Monbrison
that grossed three million euros, with two lots around or exceeding a
half million, and several others in the quarter-million or more range.
Days later, Christie’s held its Paris sale. Though only about sixty
percent of its lots sold, it still cleared more than three million
euros, also with a half million sale and a number exceeding a quarter
million. Sotheby’s Paris the following day was not quite in the same
range, but still had some very substantial sales. These five auctions
alone made for well in excess of fifteen million dollars in public sales
within a one-month period, excluding the lower-grossing sales of the
same time period.
Also between mid-May and mid-June were the New York Tribal and Textile
Arts Show, the Hali Fair in London, and BRUNEAF in Brussels. All of
these were considered successful, but their sales totals, though
certainly substantial, are difficult to calculate with any accuracy.
An increase in market activity can result in an increase in price,
though not always. The Punu mask that brought more than 600,000€ at
auction last June had sold three years earlier at the Goldet sale for a
comparable figure. This and the other six-figure prices noted above were
paid for undisputed masterpieces of their type. It is when these are
compared to such events as the recent sale of a Picasso Rose Period
painting a few weeks before at Sotheby’s for $104 million that the
relatively inexpensive and accessible nature of our field falls into
perspective.
With this apparent upswing in the market environment, TRIBAL is pleased
to lend its support to three fledgling shows. The first is Historic
Indian & Tribal Arts: Santa Fe, which completed its third year in
mid-July in a greatly expanded format at the College of Santa Fe.
Another, by the same show promoter, Barry Cohen, is the mid-October
Historic Indian & World Tribal Arts: Washington, DC, a new event that
has promise of becoming a substantial show in the capital city of the
United States. And finally, ArtEvent, which will be in the second week
of November in Lille, this year’s European Culture Capital. The latter
is planned to be a large and general art show, with which TRIBAL will
assist with the tribal art component. These shows, along with the fine
ongoing events annually produced by Caskey-Lees (New York, Los Angeles,
and San Francisco), BRUNEAF (Brussels), K.R, Martindale (Santa Rosa, Los
Angeles), Whitehawk (Santa Fe), Ars Terra Incognita (Cologne), and, of
course, Kaos (Paris), should bring additional texture to the world
landscape for tribal art and additional opportunities for both
collectors and dealers.
Jonathan Fogel
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